Well, I got in a ride I didn't plan on. It wasn't any great ride... in fact, it was totally riding through the 'beast' - I-95 and cross-streets to get my bike over to Cycle Gear there in Plantation ( I think that's where it's at).

Thank goodness for Cycle Gear - they're local, and like any good motorcycle place they're open when motorcyclists are actually out riding (Saturday and Sunday). Riva Motorsports / Riva Superstore, of all things, isn't open Sundays. But then the truth is that very few there are real riders anyhow.

I commute with my DR650 now (or again), five or six days a week, so that Cycle Gear had the brake pads I needed in stock, and were open, was all I needed. I know they don't sell motorcycles, but I feel like I'd rather support them than Riva any day (simply because Riva isn't really about bikes, and because they're closed when bikers need them).

This is what I found at about 2 PM today:

So I put the brake back together, brought the exact tools I needed, and changed to the new pads right there in Cycle Gear's parking lot. The ride home seemed much safer with brakes despite having to ride that traffic and I-95 again.

__________________"After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion
that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why
X bike won't work in Y scenario rather than actually riding
their motorcycles." --RyanR

i support stores like that for the same reason that you don't. i'd much rather support a business that allows it's employees to spend time with their families on the weekends instead of sit around and wait for that one rider that didn't catch something during basic maintenance.

that brake pad should have been replaced a long time ago. i commute on my bike but no where near as much as you do and even i have two extra sets of pads in my tool box.

i support stores like that for the same reason that you don't. i'd much rather support a business that allows it's employees to spend time with their families on the weekends instead of sit around and wait for that one rider that didn't catch something during basic maintenance.

that brake pad should have been replaced a long time ago. i commute on my bike but no where near as much as you do and even i have two extra sets of pads in my tool box.

Point taken. But there were honestly more bikers - of all types - there when I was there today (so ... Sunday) than I ever see in Riva Motorsports at any time of day I've been there. And I, too, work every Saturday (over 12 hours yesterday), and every other Sunday, so I really don't have that mindset that the weekends are for fun. If I got two days off in a row, any two days in the week, I'd be happy enough - but I don't get that, where-as I bet Cycle Gear employees do.

Anyway, I had extra of a bunch of parts/consumables for my last bike, but the only extras I have here for this bike is 8 more oil filters and a spare front tire. For some reason stocking up for this bike just hasn't yet been a priority. But with only 7900 miles on it I sure didn't expect to need to be stocking up on brake pads, or even needing them for another 5,000 miles.

__________________"After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion
that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why
X bike won't work in Y scenario rather than actually riding
their motorcycles." --RyanR

Point taken. But there were honestly more bikers - of all types - there when I was there today (so ... Sunday) than I ever see in Riva Motorsports at any time of day I've been there. And I, too, work every Saturday (over 12 hours yesterday), and every other Sunday, so I really don't have that mindset that the weekends are for fun. If I got two days off in a row, any two days in the week, I'd be happy enough - but I don't get that, where-as I bet Cycle Gear employees do.

Anyway, I had extra of a bunch of parts/consumables for my last bike, but the only extras I have here for this bike is 8 more oil filters and a spare front tire. For some reason stocking up for this bike just hasn't yet been a priority. But with only 7900 miles on it I sure didn't expect to need to be stocking up on brake pads, or even needing them for another 5,000 miles.

I used to deliver bikes to rival motorsports 2-3 a week and they never really had any bikers there, mainly people looking to buy a new bike...possibly their first.

Fwiw my bike goes through pads pretty often. All my bikes have. I don't really stock up on filters... Napa carries them and I know when a oil change is coming up. I do have a case of oil here tho. Mainly I stock pads, tubes,gaskets, oil pump gear, timing chain, wheel bearings and spacers, chain sliders, sprockets and chain and cables. oh and air filters.... I seem to have a ton of air filters laying around.

The DR650 takes an internal filter that I thought parts stores wouldn't have.

But I've seen the very say at Riva - all claim to occasionally ride motorcycles, but none who work there (at least on the sales floor and the different parts areas) seem to be a motorcyclist.

It's, thus, not my style of place. The guys behind the parts counter are pretty good in as far as customer service, but one can still feel the limitations of not buying from motorcycle enthusiasts.

__________________"After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion
that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why
X bike won't work in Y scenario rather than actually riding
their motorcycles." --RyanR

Great ride yesterday south from central Fl. Really not too much traffic and the short cut off through the cane fields close to MooreHaven, was interesting. The repair to Lake O dike was impressive there. Also the first time I had seen the cane loading process into the train....rather strange seeing the train stopped there in the middle of the field.
Nice ride......Hope everyone got out even for a little while!

I even rode through an orange grove in deep sand this weekend...not my favorite but made it through without damage to me or the bike I was riding. The Central FL tag game is very active if any of you ride North you might be able to snag a tag. Sanjoh and I took one Sat.

I used to deliver bikes to rival motorsports 2-3 a week and they never really had any bikers there, mainly people looking to buy a new bike...possibly their first.

Fwiw my bike goes through pads pretty often. All my bikes have. I don't really stock up on filters... Napa carries them and I know when a oil change is coming up. I do have a case of oil here tho. Mainly I stock pads, tubes,gaskets, oil pump gear, timing chain, wheel bearings and spacers, chain sliders, sprockets and chain and cables. oh and air filters.... I seem to have a ton of air filters laying around.

Surprisingly, I find their service pretty good, too - but the only thing I've ever had done was tires there.

With the DR650 I change my own tires now.

__________________"After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion
that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why
X bike won't work in Y scenario rather than actually riding
their motorcycles." --RyanR

I guess I'm about to ride up to Kissimmee (sp?) Plains Park ... I'm going to visit my parents for either a few hours or overnight Wednesday, or just make a day trip out of it Thursday (I begged for the two days off instead of my normal one day, but now it looks like it's going to rain... and I've been riding in the rain too much lately to subject myself to it for a trip that should otherwise be a good one).

Anything nice or special about Kissimmee Plains Park area to ride my DR650 to?

__________________"After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion
that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why
X bike won't work in Y scenario rather than actually riding
their motorcycles." --RyanR

Most times I was just a hair on the chilly side after long runs, but I kept reminding myself of what it will be like to ride a bike mid-day in just a few months. Really, this was the most enjoyable weather to have ridden in that we probably ever get.

Don't have my racks built yet, so it was a strap-it-to-the-bike-and-go proposition. Cheap Wal-mart tent bought hours earlier in Okeechobee, then strapped on as well. It's no real hiking tent, but for $30 it kept the bugs out.

It got down to about 40 or 43 degrees, so it was more of an issue of being cold. Still slept well enough considering I didn't have a ground-pad (which would have made a world of difference in heat retention and in comfort - that soft ground under that tree wasn't so soft by early morning).

Unloaded and set up camp, then went for an exploratory ride with the remaining daylight.

A tribute. I don't know who he was (yet - I may try to find out), but someone thought of him very dearly, and I bet he was a guy I'd respect. Considering this was out in the middle of no-where (not paved, not marked, maybe not even a legal right-of-way), and this being very conservative cattle / rancher country, I can only think he was one of the originals who settled the lands out there:

Here's to you, Howard 'Talkers and Doers'

Packed up again:

Oops, these two were before packing up - early morning walk found plenty of Turkeys

If I had the means, I'd be a cattle rancher. Don't know why I like the country and cattle so much, but that's the life for me.

See that sky above that cow? Awesome day to have been riding!

World of Tanks T-shirt, bike, Tank, ugly mug:

Just happened to cross a single railroad track and see a lit locomotive looking at me. Have to admit that when the lights are on, and the crossing-gate not down, when I didn't expect to see a train - it sure looked closer than when I took the picture (because I didn't know it wasn't rolling down the rails, and wasn't expecting it). Turned around and got a pic of it:

I took other pictures, but you dyed-in-the-wool Floridian bikers see that stuff all the time, so no need to post them here.

__________________"After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion
that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why
X bike won't work in Y scenario rather than actually riding
their motorcycles." --RyanR